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This is exactly the kind of attitude that prevents any real solution to the problem of poverty from solidifying.
Poverty has always existed, and always will. It's the nature of people and societies. Some truly are victims, and some choose it thru apathy/ignorance. When people become adults, they have a choice- do I continue what I experienced growing up, or do I change? Change is difficult, so most don't do it.
Much of Maine is very rural. It's likely that some rural people would have to drive an hour or so each way to get to an approved volunteer location. Being super poor, they might not have a car that's reliable enough to go that far for volunteer work, especially during Maine's winter. Maybe they don't even own a car. Then they'd have to walk to the volunteer location or get a ride from someone else.
There are some people that are so dirt poor that they really have these situations. It gets into the chicken/egg scenario. They don't have a job so no money for a car. But because they don't have a car they can't get to a job. They need the car to get a job but need money to get the car. I have seen posters here on city-data with this exact dimemma. They were searching for jobs but didn't have a car to get to work and didn't have money to buy a car. Many were young adults/just starting out in life.
You can bet that some of these people in this exact scenario just got their food stamps cut off. How they get themselves out of that perpetual hole, who knows. When you live in a rural area, if you don't have a car, you are pretty much stuck. City people have it much easier because of public transportation and because easier to walk to businesses due to less open space.
Max food stamp allotment for 1 person is $194/mo.
Thank your lucky stars you aren't dirt poor and stuck in a rut.
Makes one wonder how they get to the welfare office, health department, grocery store, etc.
As much as I detest the influx of illegal aliens when they descended on our town to work at Perdue, they would walk to work, then ride a bicycle then finally get a beater and give all their friends a ride.
AND to keep those jobs IN the country for them, wouldn't you agree?
This is another interesting point.
The refugees are usually coming from the countries that have different way of life, and yes, you are right - they might be ending up in areas that are totally not suitable for them, places that are void of public transportation and yes, in this case they become dependent on the handouts.
On another hand, you can't fit them all in the urban setting - hundreds of thousands of them, if not millions.
I would agree on trying to keep the jobs in the country. We may disagree on how you achieve that, I don't know.
And I'm all for attempting to fit all of the refugees in to the urban environments whether they'll fit or not, when it is not feasible to keep them out of the country entirely. It is the people in the urban environments who tend to vote to impose these refugees on our society in the first place.
Seems like a pretty straightforward question. If you are too lazy to work 24 hours a month, are you really going to try to find a job when you're kicked off the benefits wagon, or are you going to look for the quickest and easiest ways to put money in your pocket?
I'll bit, they will perform criminal acts just so they don't have to work.
That sounds like a mob shakedown, "pay or else" except they don't have the leverage.
Anyway, that is against the law and will land you in prison (free food, room and board ) or shot by a non-willing crime victim.
I understand Maine has pretty relaxed gun laws. They should move to MA maybe.
It is only 40,000 if they break the law. They have these options:
1. Work and pay your way.
2. Break the law and get arrested.
3. Steal from an armed man and pay another way.
4. Live with EddieB.Good and get freebies/ win/win.
Poverty has always existed, and always will. It's the nature of people and societies. Some truly are victims, and some choose it thru apathy/ignorance. When people become adults, they have a choice- do I continue what I experienced growing up, or do I change? Change is difficult, so most don't do it.
I refuse to believe that poverty will always be with us. I am convince there is a thread of future history where the problem of poverty can be solved once and for all.
It's not just your cousin. Most stereotypical welfare queens I know always vote Republican and have a great disdain for liberals. I think they overcompensate to balance out their life style
And all of the people I know who have engaged in bestiality at some point in their lives are democrats. We've all got our insulting anecdotes.
Congrats on your family's success by the way. These types of issues need to be dealt with in generalities though, not individual cases, at least at the fundamental level. Things just don't pencil out otherwise. Perhaps we need to have more discretion at the individual level for specific cases but we can't let those cases hold us hostage when common sense is screaming at us to do something different.
Crazy thoughts become rational when you haven't eaten in 4 days
Maybe you and like minded posters here should apply for 501(c)(3) tax status and open a soup kitchen.
Put your efforts where your posts are.
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